An Illustrated History of the Mandala: From Its Genesis to the KalacakratantraEveryone’s heard of mandalas; now we have a uniquely rich history and explanation of their history and meaning. This book is a history of the genesis and development of the mandala from the fifth and sixth centuries, when the mandala first appeared in India, to the eleventh century, when the Kalacakratantra appeared just before the disappearance of Buddhism in India. The 600 years of Indian esoteric Buddhism that concluded the 1,700-year history of Indian Buddhism could be said to have been the history of the development of the mandala. (The Kalacakratantra integrated earlier mandala theories into a single system and established a monumental system unprecedented in the history of esoteric Buddhism. It was thus the culmination of the development of Indian Buddhism over a period of 1,700 years.) The analysis is at the micro level and includes numerous illustrations and charts. Particular attention is paid to proper names, mudras, and mantras that have been overlooked by scholars in philosophy and doctrine, and the author tackles issues that cannot be explained solely from a historical viewpoint, such as geometric patterns, the arrangement of deities, the colors, and their meaning in Buddhist doctrine. |
Contents
The Emergence of the Garbhamandala | |
Mandalas of the Prajñāpāramitānayasūtra | |
The Emergence of the Vajradhātumandala | |
The Emergence of the Guhyasamājamandala | |
Mandalas of the Mother Tantras | |
The Mandala of the Kālacakratantra | |
The Development of the Mandala and Its Philosophical Meaning | |
Postscript | |
About the Author | |
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An Illustrated History of the Mandala: From Its Genesis to the Kalacakratantra Kimiaki Tanaka No preview available - 2018 |
Common terms and phrases
adamantine goddesses Ākāśagarbha Akşobhya Amitābha Amoghasiddhi Amoghavajra arranged Arya school Assembly mandala assigned Avalokiteśvara cardinal directions centered century chapter Chinese translation commentary consorts corresponding depicted dharma Dunhuang early esoteric eight great bodhisattvas elements esoteric Buddhism esoteric Buddhist scriptures examples female deities five buddhas five families four buddha-mothers four buddhas four cardinal directions four pāramitās Garbha-mandala Guhyasamāja Guhyasamājatantra Heruka Hevajra iconography India inner square Japanese jing Jñānapāda school Kālacakra Kālacakratantra late tantric Buddhism main deity mandalas explained Mañjuśrī Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa Mantrakhanda Mikkyō Mother tantras mudrā nāga offering goddesses outer square Paramādyatantra pāramitās pavilion Prajñākhanda Prajñāpāramitānayasūtra Ratnaketu Ratnasambhava rdo rje ritual manuals rnam Śākyamuni Samantabhadra Samāyogatantra Samvara Samvara cycle Sanskrit Sarvatathāgatatattvasamgraha seventeen-deity mandala sixteen great bodhisattvas skandhadhātvāyatana stūpa sūtra symbolizing Taizō Tanaka tantric Buddhism tathāgatas Tibet Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan translation Trailokyavijaya tuoluoni Vairocana Vairocanābhisambodhi Vairocanābhisambodhisūtra Vajra Vajra family Vajradhātu Vajradhātu-mandala Vajrapāņi Vajrasattva viśuddhipadas wheel wrathful deities Yoga tantras yuga zuzō